Upstate Medical University was a supporting sponsor of the 20th Annual Duck Race To End Racism, held on Sat., June 9 at Syracuse’s Inner Harbor. This festive event supports “Community Wide Dialogues,” an Interfaith Works’ program that brings together thousands of Central New Yorkers to increase understanding across ethnic lines and to take actions that promote cultural healing.

Close to 60 corporations and third-grade classrooms created unique duck decoys to display and race at the event. Upstate’s “One Hospital, Two Campuses” duck came in third in the race and tied with Rural Metro for the award for “best representation of the company’s mission.”

Team Upstate volunteers sold raffle tickets, ran a healthy eating game, help set up the event, and spent the day painting faces of some of the 1,800 people who attended the Duck Race. Lisa Vigliotti-Bane, an employee at Upstate’s community campus, was among the face painters, and she met many young new Americans who asked to have their home countries’ flags painted on their faces.

Upstate employees contributed more than $2,000 for the event which raised $65,000 for the Community Wide Dialogue To End Racism. To see news coverage, click here for NewsChannel 9/WSYR and here for the Post-Standard.

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About susankeeter

Occasional contributor Upstate’s Susan Keeter has written about and painted Upstate’s Dr. Sarah Loguen, one of the first African American women physicians. Keeter created the horse sculpture in front of the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital and illustrated a children’s book on autism, “Waiting for Benjamin.” She’s written for Physician Practice, Upstate Alumni Journal and Upstate Health magazines. Reach her by email at keeters@upstate.edu or by phone at 315-464-4834.